News & Perspective

(CIDRAP News) – The brisk pace of flu activity in Canada and the United States has triggered concerns about possible oseltamivir (Tamiflu) shortages, with a Canadian announcement today of the drug’s release from the national stockpile and news that some parts of the United States may face low supplies of the liquid suspension for kids.

(CIDRAP News) – Flu activity indicators showed some wobble last week, which might suggest that activity in the United States is starting to ebb in some locations or could reflect some artifacts of disease reporting that health officials sometimes see over the holiday period.

(CIDRAP News) – New York's governor has declared a health emergency to funnel more resources to battle high levels of flu activity, including an executive order that temporarily allows pharmacists to vaccinate children younger than 18 years old.

(CIDRAP News) – Canadian authorities say all California lettuce shipped into Canada must be certified under the California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement (LGMA), a voluntary food safety program, which means the lettuce believed to be the source of a Canadian outbreak of Escherichia coli O157:H7 would have carried the LGMA seal.